Veh was dismissed after a 1-1 draw at home against promoted Ingolstadt, the team's seventh straight game without a win. Frankfurt has slid to 16th in the 18-team Bundesliga, the relegation playoff spot, with 24 points from 25 games.

Kovac played for Hertha Berlin, Hamburger SV, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. As coach, he led Croatia to the 2014 World Cup, but he was fired in September following poor results in 2016 European Championship qualifiers.